I am very optimistic about Omaha’s future. At the close of my four-year term as Mayor, I would like to achieve a lower tax burden so businesses and families will stay here, grow here and relocate here. We need improved services - better roads, cleaner parks and the best public safety professionals so we are all safer. I would like to lead a more positive and dynamic city where young people want to stay - or return to - and where our retired families don’t feel ushered out of town by high taxes, high crime and low confidence in city government.

A more efficient government that must serve you better, where government employees and elected officials are more concerned about serving taxpayers and streamlining functions than they do their own self interests.

And…leadership that responds to you, listens to you and respects your views; leadership that is transparent and out-in-the-open.

How would you approach taxes during your term?

As Mayor, my goal will be to cut the property tax rate, and roll back the Jim Suttle restaurant tax. I have fought against the two increases in the property tax rate during my service on the City Council. Those two tax hikes resulted in a total property tax rate increase of 15%. The Omaha families and businesses I talk to neither want, nor can afford higher property taxes. And, having worked through four city budgets, I believe our problem is too much spending, rather than not enough taxes. Omaha must be competitive with our neighboring cities, as well as the regional cities with which we compete for new and expanded business opportunities. Ever-higher property tax rates will only slow growth and make Omaha less appealing for businesses and families. We also need to merge local government functions where it makes sense, to save money and provide more efficient services.

What makes you the best candidate to lead the city?

My 14 years of elected public service, both on the Omaha City Council and the Millard School Board, provide me the background and experience needed to manage the increasingly complex and important services the City of Omaha provides. I’m also a nurse by training and served as a hospital surgery department manager. Both of these roles required me to listen to those whose work I impacted. I have also been involved in numerous community and non-profit efforts that affect all of Omaha, which has helped me have a greater understanding of civic issues. My proven track record of working with people, listening to their needs and problems, and then bringing people together with a non-partisan approach to governing, will help move Omaha forward. I have prepared a specific and thorough plan for my term as Omaha’s 51st Mayor and you can read it on my website at www.jeanstothert.com.

What would you do to ensure job creation during your term?

Omaha’s businesses and institutions grow and create jobs in our economy. It is the role of the mayor to good policy, allowing businesses to grow and thrive. That means lower taxes and smarter city budgets. It means the mayor and the city must be a better partner with those who work daily to attract and retain high quality and good paying jobs to the Omaha area, manage job training programs to provide the unskilled or under-skilled with the tools they need to succeed, and work with our public and private K-12 to make sure that youth stay in school and graduate. One of my principle areas of focus as Mayor will be to re-engage our private sector to promote our workforce to companies around the country. We are long overdue for a major employer location to Omaha and/or a significant expansion of an existing local company.

How would you address violent crime in Omaha?

The best approach to fighting crime is to make sure the three primary functions of fighting crime – prevention, intervention, and prosecution – are all managed as seamlessly as possible. This takes leadership that listens, leadership that can bring others together, and leadership that shares the credit when credit is due. We need to recognize that crime and education are linked. Our school systems are failing many of our most vulnerable children, making them susceptible to the appeals of criminals and gangs. As an 11-year member of the Millard Board of Education, I believe I am uniquely qualified to provide leadership in making sure schools and school districts continue to improve on issues like drop-out rates, truancy, counseling, facility security, and resource officer presence. My plan for crime, and other issues, can be downloaded at www.jeanstothert.com.

How do you think taxpayer dollars should be spent?

One of my main areas of focus will be continued work on city employee pensions and benefits. Labor contracts, as we have seen all too clearly, have increasingly consumed city finances, thanks in large part to the overly generous, politically-driven contracts awarded by previous administrations. We have been on an unsustainable course, but we are beginning to get it under control. New agreements achieved real reform, and real savings, in the areas of health care and union pensions. Health care reforms in the latest fire union contract, for instance, will save taxpayers $680,000 per year. Overall, terms of the agreement would save taxpayers over $800 million compared to the current agreement with the same terms over a 50-year period. However, we have a long way to go to make up for previous agreements. I have the experience and knowledge to get these agreements in-line with private agreements.

If elected, how will you involve citizens in decision-making?

During my nearly four years on the Omaha City Council and 11 years on the Millard School Board, I have been very open to public comment and involvement in policy formation and setting priorities. As Mayor, I will continue to seek public input by meeting with constituents and groups, traveling and speaking throughout the city, maintaining an open door policy, and taking your calls and letters. I have always sought public input – both from those who agree and those who disagree – because I know elected leaders are doing your work with your money. I will listen to you and be open to your ideas, comments and critiques.

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